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You’ll Never Believe the Scary Past of This Spooky New York Hotel
| By David Clarke
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When we think of giant, historic castles, our minds are almost always taken to Europe as that is where most of them stand. However, there actually exists a secret and abandoned castle right here in the U.S.A., in the state of New York. And while some of the most seasoned urban explorers would be aware of this place, most of us not only haven’t seen it but didn’t even know it existed. After some exploration out past the Finger Lakes, you will eventually reach the small village of Dansville and Dansville used to have a very lively hotel.
The legendary building went by a number of different names such as the Dansville Castle and the Castle on the Hill. But whatever you call it or know it as, there is no doubting it is an extremely creepy place to be as it has been abandoned for years and has a very mysterious past.
The history of this location begins back in 1798 where an underground spring had emerged from a rock on the property. After it was discovered that the water had healing powers, a businessman decided to buy the property in the early 1850’s. He decided the location and the mineral healing waters made for the perfect place to start up a spa. The business opened in 1854, but unfortunately, didn’t pan out and he sold the property.
Next in line to own it was Caleb Jackson in 1870. He was a believer in hydrotherapy and used it to heal his ailing body. He made a name for this castle as a healing grounds for hydrotherapy, but sadly, he knocked over a lantern one time that caused a giant fire to burn the place to the ground. That happened in 1882, and while he had the building rebuilt very soon, his patients began to die more frequently as modern medicine became much more reliable than hydrotherapy.
Once again, the castle was brought back to life in 1929 by Bernarr McFadden, who turned it into a hotel called the Physical Culture Hotel. The hotel not only cured the ill like those who owned it before him, but he also made it a desirable spot for celebrities to stay. This was probably the most successful of all the different businesses and ventures that the building housed.
After passing away in 1955, McFadden’s hotel was taken over by someone else. But after a steady decline of visitors in the next few years, the hotel was eventually closed in 1971, and that would be the last time this castle had anyone inside it. Over the next few years, there were a ton of rumors about this place being restored once again, but no real progress has been made on that front.
If you don’t live in the area or don’t want to take a trip to see it, check out this great Youtube video that will take you on a very cool visual tour of the location.
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